HEAD CASES: “Oh gosh, they’re all wearing hats!” said a shocked Stephen Jones as he walked into the launch party for his new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum — and saw a riot of plumage and kooky headpieces. Guests at “Hats: An Anthology” included Erin O’Connor, Daphne Guinness, Britain’s First Lady Sarah Brown, Jefferson Hack, Katie Grand, Jacquetta Wheeler, Daisy Lowe, Anna Piaggi, Philip Treacy and Giles Deacon. Piaggi sported a pom-pom, clownlike headpiece while Treacy wore a traditional top hat. Deacon donned cheeky alien antennae and a headband covered in safety pins.

Earlier in the day, Jones hosted a walk-through of the show, which runs until May 10. Displays include a bonnet that belonged to Queen Victoria and the Philip Treacy feathered headpiece that Camilla Parker Bowles wore to her wedding to Prince Charles. The exhibition space, designed as a baroque garden by Michael Howells, has a replica of Jones’ studio as its centerpiece, strewn with patterns and sketches and complete with a radio blaring. “It’s a little bit like looking into my mind — it’s that untidy,” said Jones.